First Impressions

Warm, artificial air flowed through the vents and onto Lizzie as she sat in the passenger seat of Jonathan's SUV. Besides the hum of the heater and a rumbling engine, the car was silent. As to make the silence more comfortable, Jonathan pressed the dial to power the radio. Instantly, "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes came on, but Jonathan hastily pressed a button to change it to a Top 40 station.

"No, wait," Lizzie put her own hand on top of his, and he froze. "I love this song."

"I would've pegged you for a pop music kinda girl," Jonathan laughed lightly, to which she smirked.

"I would've pegged you for a country music kinda guy," she returned. "Guess I was right, huh?"

"You were," Jonathan agreed.

Lake Michigan whizzed by as the car zoomed down Lake Shore Drive. Lizzie gazed in awe at the vast body of water before her, cast perfectly with the city of Chicago looming ahead. 

"Have you seen anything more perfect than this view?" Lizzie found herself asking Jonathan. "I'd never get tired of it."

He glanced at her with a soft, knowing smile.

"Me neither."

After ten minutes and with Lizzie directing him, Jonathan quizzically pulled up to the community center.

"I doubt this is where you live..."

"I know, I live a few blocks away, but I'm volunteering to wrap Christmas presents tonight," Lizzie explained to him as she re-buttoned her coat.

"That's neat," Jonathan nodded, putting the SUV in park right at the curb. 

"Thank you so much for the ride, Jon," Lizzie let the more personal nickname slip from her lips. "I hope you have a good holiday."

Jonathan nodded stiffly, back to the demeanor Lizzie knew so well. 

"You too, Lizzie."

Lizzie stepped out of the car with a brief wave, hastily towards the glow of the community center lobby. As her gloved hand reached the handle and pushed-

"Lizzie!" Jonathan's voice rang out, accompanied by the slamming of the car door. She spun around, startled as he jogged up the pathway.

"I don't really have plans tonight," he said breathlessly. "Could you use an extra hand?"

--------------------------------------------

"How the hell do you get your bows like that?"

"Years and years of practice," Lizzie laughed as Jonathan gazed at the creation of ribbon atop her present jealously. In his own hands was a neatly wrapped present (surprisingly above the normal male standard) that was void of any respectable bow. "Okay, how about you wrap them, and I'll put the ribbons and tags on them?"

"Deal," Jonathan grinned. Lizzie couldn't help but like this loosened-up version of Jonathan. He'd taken off his coat to reveal dark wash jeans under a burgundy v-neck pullover. The sleeves were pushed back as his hands carefully folded the candy-cane patterned wrapping over the action figure. Jonathan, his grown out, curlier hair matting his forehead, was concentrating so hard that he subconsciously made a habit of sticking his tongue out slightly while he made sure the tape didn't crease, causing Lizzie to laugh again.

"What?" he looked up at her innocently. She thought he even looked cute, though Lizzie shook the thought away.

"It's nothing, you're just more into this than I thought you'd be," Lizzie curled an emerald ribbon as she spoke. "Thank you for helping."

"Well thanks for letting me," Jonathan replied softly. "This is fun; I haven't really been able to get into the holiday spirit yet."

"This is my favorite time of the year," Lizzie mused. "It's stressful with exams and all, but there's so much holiday cheer that you can't let them ruin it for you."

"You finally pull out all of those Christmas movies you've been dying to watch all year," Jonathan pointed out.

"The smell of evergreen has never smelled so good."

"Gingerbread cookies."

"Stuffing."

"Peppermint hot chocolate."

Lizzie and Jonathan said the last one simultaneously, causing them both to burst into laughter. 

"What are your plans after this?" Jonathan asked as they neared the end of their pile of toys. 

"Just going home," Lizzie shrugged. "My brain's too fried to study until tomorrow."

"Well I was gonna go home too, unless you want to catch a bite?" Jonathan suggested.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Lizzie said softly to which Jonathan smiled at her. 

Who was this man sitting in front of her? Lizzie pondered this while listening to Jonathan talk about a funny incident they'd had on a recent road trip. They'd finished up their meals at a local eatery nearby the community center. The their amusement, the establishment served peppermint hot chocolate, which the two sipped comfortably at a table by the window.

But really, was this really the Jonathan Toews Lizzie had come to know back in June? It was as if he was showing an entirely new side of himself- more pleasant, charming, likable, attractive...

No, Lizzie paused, feeling herself heat up at the thought. Sure, Jonathan was one of Chicago's most sought-after handsome bachelors, but that didn't mean there was anything more to like besides his looks and his talent on the ice...right? 

"Anyways, Shawzer keeps his card keys in his wallet now," Jonathan finished, reminiscing with a chuckle. "Sorry, I've probably talked your ear off about the team."

"No, I love hearing about them," Lizzie assured him. "They seem like a very dynamic group. And it shows on the ice."

"How often do you watch?" Jonathan questioned with a twinge of excitement.

"I try to when I have time," she started, not wanting to inform Jonathan that she only did when Jane wasn't home. "And I go through every section of the Trib, even sports."

"You do not read every section," Jonathan smirked at Lizzie, but his tone was teasing. "And you do the crossword every morning, too, right?"

"Just not on Tuesdays and Thursdays- I have an 8 a.m. class," Lizzie informed him smartly. "And, yes, I read every section- reading is good for the soul, haven't you heard?"

"Wasn't that chicken soup?"

"Details, really."

Jonathan insisted he pay the bill, and Lizzie strong-armed him into letting her at least pay the tip. From there, he offered to walk her home, to which she obliged.

"What's your favorite book?" he asked, hands shoved in his pockets as they walked along the slick sidewalk as the snow came falling down in thick flakes. Lizzie's hand perched carefully on the crook of his elbow where it lay since the moment she'd gripped it after slipping on another patch of ice while exiting the cafe. You could never be too careful, Lizzie had decided, and Jonathan hadn't said anything as her hand remained on his arm.

"I have too many," she sighed, to which Jonathan let out a large chuckle. "I do have a favorite poem, though, and it's long enough to be a book."

"Well, what is it?"

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Elliot," Lizzie said.

"I'll have to look it up," Jonathan said. "Why's it your favorite?"

Lizzie looked down at their shadows gliding across the sidewalk in the light of a nearby lamppost. They were nearly one, her having gotten significantly closer to him to keep warm.

"It tells me something different every time I read it, I guess. He's saying so many different things in this seemingly scatterbrained soliloquy, but in the end, you'll relate to it in one way or another," Lizzie finally said. "You'll definitely have to look it up to get what I'm saying," she chuckled. "But that's my favorite."

They walked the rest of the way silently, until Lizzie reached the familiar forest green door of her and Jane's walkup, the lone lightbulb in the entryway emitting a faint glow.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Jonathan said suddenly, and Lizzie cocked her head in puzzlement before he explained. "That's my favorite book. You didn't ask, but I wanted to tell you."

"Sorry," Lizzie felt a blush creep up, embarrassed at her conversation manners. "I love that book. And the series. The movies don't do them justice."

Jonathan only smiled at her warmly, like she need not apologize.

"I agree. Listen," he paused, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed Jonathan's face before he continued. "This weekend, I'm going to the State Street Charity Event. Your last exam is on Friday, yeah?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Well," he took a deep breath. "Would you like to come with me? I know it's last minute-"

"No, I would love to!" Lizzie assured him, her heart pounding, much to her surprise. Jane wouldn't be home until Sunday, and Jonathan's invitation seemed a more welcoming start to her holiday than curling up on the couch alone at the apartment she now stood beneath. 

"You'll probably have to shake a lot of hands," Jonathan warned semi-seriously, but he was grinning nonetheless. "But the food's not bad and there's an open bar."

"Oh, I'm definitely looking forward to it, then," she tried to look serious at the thought of unlimited alcohol, but broke into a chuckle instead.

"Good, me too." 

Lizzie bit her lip as Jonathan fell silent, the grin still playing on his own. 

"Well, this is me, then!" Lizzie laughed to break the silence abruptly. She leaned over to kiss Jonathan's cheek. "Thanks again for everything. I'll see you later."

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

His voice, mellow and sweet penetrated her thoughts as she walked upstairs, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. And when she closed her eyes, Lizzie's mind repeated the same image of his handsome face until she finally drifted off to sleep.